Welcome Back
by Anifantwist
Summary: When Hikaru receives a gift from his grandfather, he fails to notice the shadow on his gift. Could this mean Sai's return? What will this mean for Hikaru and gang? AkiHika Chapter 6 is UP! Confessions time!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok now. This is my first Hikaru no Go fic so bear with me. This also hasn't been beta-read. Anyone want the job then just go ahead and tell me in a review. There will be eventual Aki/Hik later on in the chapters. I intend this to be a huge multi-part story so everyone just bare with me. I will try my hardest to get chapters out fast. I'm also working on other stories, college, home, job so my life is a little bit hectic. Anywho, read and review and that will tell me whether or not to continue this story.

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter 1- The beginning**

Shindou Hikaru raised his hand in the air and paused for a moment. The black stone he held between his first two fingers glinted dangerously in the light of the room. His opponent shivered once in fright. So this was what playing a serious Shindou-kun was like. He understood now his friends' comments. He'd played Shindou-kun at the Go center but he was never serious. This was different. His eyes were set in a glare that reminded the man of Touya Akira.

The hand moved with a speed that was hard for the man to keep up with. They'd told him that sometimes Shindou-kun was a speed Go player and to watch out when he turned this way. They said that he was his most dangerous because, when this happened, he'd already seen to the end of the game and knew that he was going to win. The man shivered again when he saw where Shindou-kun placed the stone. Very good. Very bad for him. It meant his loss, that was for certain. He glanced opened mouthed at the young Go pro.

Hikaru paid no attention to the looks the man was giving him. The only things on his mind were the goban and the stones. No matter where his opponent placed his next stone, he'd place one that would kill him. He could feel his opponents defeat.

"I resign." The man choked out.

"Thank you for the game." Hikaru dutifully replied, no hint of elation in his voice or boastfulness in his eyes.

Then, as the man was getting up, Hikaru relaxed and his face broke out in a huge smile. He threw his hands over his head.

"I WON!" He shouted. Not too loud to interrupt any games but loud nevertheless. Startled, the man sat down again. "Now, here and here if you'd placed your stones differently, you might have had a chance." He pointed at the places, the wide grin never leaving his face.

The man blinked and looked at the spaces. "No, I don't think you would have let me get away with places the stones there. If I had then you would have cut me off somehow else."

Hikaru blinked and rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "Probably. It was a good game anyway."

He glanced over at Touya Akira and saw that he was still in a game. From the looks of it, though, he was almost finished. He frowned and looked more closely at the board. Yeah, Touya was winning by over 10 moku, there was no way his opponent could come back from that loss. Especially since it was against Touya. For a moment Hikaru was a bit envious of the other person. He'd been itching to play Touya in an official match. Ah well. Some other time.

He got up and stretched his cramped up muscles and then walked over to the signing table. He grinned cheekily at the man behind the table.

"Mark me for a win by resignation. Thanks." The man wrote furiously and then glanced at Hikaru when it was obvious that he wasn't leaving. "Could you also give a message to Touya when he wins?" The man raised his brow at the declaration. "Can you tell him that I'm going over to my grandpa's house to play him so I won't be able to meet him today. I'll call and meet up with him tomorrow."

The man wrote all of this down without a word and nodded. "Sure and congratulations on your win." He smiled mechanically at Hikaru but he was already gone.

Hikaru punched the button for the elevator and quickly got on. When the doors opened, he was out and running as fast as he could. It wasn't often when his grandfather asked him to come out and play him so he took every opportunity he could to play the old man. Besides, it was a good chance to go pay homage to the goban in his grandpa's shed.

That goban had changed his life when a ghost of a former Go player popped out of it. He was 12 years old and the rain was coming down really hard. He'd had no money and hoped to sell some stuff in his grandpa's shed to get him by. He'd spotted the goban and cleaned it up thinking that it would get him quite a bit of money. When a stain refused to be wiped off, he'd complained. His childhood friend, Akari, had said there was nothing on the board. When he'd insisted there was something there, a voice came out from no where asking him if he could hear him. That's when his life of Go started and his life of peace and quiet ended.

He stepped off of the train and started walking toward his grandfather's house. He was too distracted in his thoughts to really pay attention to where he was going. People jostled him but he didn't even spare them a glance. He was getting too depressed with his thoughts to care about other people.

Fujiwara no Sai was the ghost that came out of the goban. He wore a tall hat and a white kimono that was stylish over a thousand years ago. His dark black, nearly purple looking, waist length hair was tied off near the end with a purple ribbon. He had always carried around a fan with him wherever he went.

Sai, his teacher. Sai, his friend. Sai, his constant companion for two full years. No matter what Hikaru did, he would always miss his best friend painfully.

He was a bit startled when he found himself stepping into his grandfathers' yard but quickly composed himself. He glanced at the old shed and, once again, remembered that rainy afternoon. It was a bit of a surprise when thunder boomed announcing the incoming afternoon rains. Hikaru smiled warily at that thought. Just like that afternoon.

A voice made him return to the present. "Ah Hikaru, thought you'd never make it here." His grandfather stood next to him, smiling.

"You know, Grandfather, traffic was horrible on the way here. You just had to pick a time when all the people are getting out of school." He gave his grandfather a cheeky grin, well aware that he should have been one of those people if circumstances were different.

"Yeah, yeah." His grandfather ruffled his hair playfully. "Now, what do you say to a match?" The light in his grandfather's eyes made Hikaru wary.

"Sure." He hesitantly agreed.

He took one last look at the run down shed and then turned to follow his grandfather into the house. After greeting his grandmother, they went out onto the porch with two steaming cups of tea. The goban was at its usual place in the center of the porch. It was the toher object that startled Hikaru. It was a huge box, at least up to his knees. It was wrapped with some tasteful wrapping paper and placed next to the goban. Hikaru eyed his grandfather suspiciously

"Hikaru, this is why I'm so excited to play you. If you can beat me after all the training I've gone through, then this is yours." He beamed at Hikaru, confirming Hikaru's suspicions.

He sighed once for dramatics and then a smile bloomed on his face. "Then what are we waiting for!" He asked, shoving up his sleeves as if to do battle.

His grandfather chuckled at Hikaru's antics and settled himself down on the porch. Hikaru plopped down and grabbed a handful of black stones. His grandfather picked two white ones, laying them on the board. The count turned out to be even so his grandfather got black and got to make the first move.

Halfway into the fame, Hikaru picked up a white stone and stopped. He remembered holding a white stone in front of Touya Meijin. Sai had been directing him where to place the stones. It was his third time playing Go. He'd fled from that game, scared at the feelings it aroused. Sai had whined at him all day after he calmed down. It was quite hilarious when he thought back on it but, at the time, it had been scary.

Hikaru closed his eyes in pain. _Oh Sai, why did you have to leave?_ Of course there wasn't an answer.

Involuntarily, his eyes opened and sought out the shed.

"Still can't keep your mind off of that board hm?"

Startled, Hikaru gave his grandpa a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. He'd totally forgotten that he was playing his grandfather. A deep blush was staining his cheeks.

"Er, yes I can." He boasted, placing his stone.

"Then you won't mind when I tell you I gave that board to a kid that loves Go." This was said very softly.

Nevertheless, Hikaru jumped to his feet as if it had been a scream. "You did WHAT!" His eyes turned to become the serious eyes he used only for Go. "Grandfather! Why'd you do that!" He knew he was screaming but he couldn't help it. The goban was gone. He'd lost it forever.

"Because I bet this kid that he could have it if he beat me. He beat me so squarely that I had no choice. He'd eyed that board for years now. I didn't have the heart to keep it from one who loved it so much." His eyes were shielded when he said that. "Now sit down and let's finish this match."

Hikaru, gapping, sat down mechanically. His mind was too stunned by what his grandfather had just told him. No, it couldn't be gone. He could just go over to that kids' house and demand it back. Yeah, he could challenge the kid to a match and win it back. Hikaru wasn't a pro for nothing.

He barely noticed when his grandfather resigned. That was how much in shock he was in.

"Now, why don't you open your present?" His grandfather gently shoved the box his way.

Hikaru shoved the thoughts in his head, ranging from killing his grandfather to killing the kid, and focused on his present. That goban had been his grandfathers to do with as he pleased. Hikaru had turned him down the one time his grandfather had offered it to him. But he hadn't thought his grandfather wanted to get rid of it that bad.

He tore open the wrapping, not caring how he ripped it. He was a messy person by nature. Why would opening presents be any different? He grabbed his house key to tear open the tape keeping the box closed. He pulled back the lid and gasped. Inside it was a goban. No, to be more precise, the goban that was supposed to be in the shed. He glanced up quickly at his grandfather who was grinning from ear to ear.

"I told you, he beat me squarely and loved Go so much that he had to have it. Just don't tell your mother." His grandpa winked at him, still amused that Hikaru was still gapping like a fish out of water.

One instant he was standing there, in the next he was in his grandfathers' arms crying. He didn't care if he was supposed to be a highschooler and a Go pro. This was the best gift he could have received from his grandfather.

"Thanks, Old Man." He rasped.

His grandfather didn't take any offense. He knew his grandson very well. Hikaru was his favorite, if only, grandson and he doted on him like no other when his mother would allow it. Hikaru was one very bright boy.

Hikaru gave his thanks to his grandma as well and then took his leave. Lugging around a heavy goban was difficult and he received a lot of weird looks but he got it home. He snuck up the stairs and put the box away when he heard his mother coming up the stairs.

"Hikaru, how was the trip to your grandparents?" She asked brightly.

"Great, Mom. I creamed Grandpa. He was crying." He gave her a cheeky grin.

She fell for it. She giggled. "Oh, Hikaru, your grandpa's no match for you anymore. Go easy on him once and a while. Ok?" She winked at him and then closed the door.

Making sure her footsteps were well enough away, he waited a full half an hour before venturing toward his closet. He pulled out the box and gently removed the goban. He fondly rubbed his fingers over the surface. He blinked when he saw a shadow in one of the corners of the board.

"That's odd." He whispered to himself.

He tilted the board to one side and the shadow-like thing seemed to sort of fade away. Finally, he shrugged and put it off as a trick of the light. He set the board next to the other one his grandfather bought him and smiled. Yes, it looked very nice in his room. As if it were meant to be there.

He quickly changed into his nightclothes and hopped into bed. He turned off the light and sighed contentedly. He turned his back to the room and quickly fell asleep. If he were awake just a little longer, he would have seen the corner of the Go board light up in the light of the full moon ominously.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ha! I'm good. It's only been a day and I got this one out. Wouldn't expect this from me all the time but I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm on a writing roll. Thanks to all those who've reviewed. Thousands of thanks to all. Hope you all like it.

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter 2: Reappearance and Discovery**

_Hikaru?_

It came as a whisper. It bugged Hikaru so he ignored it and continued to sleep.

_Hikaru? Geeze you sleep a lot._

The nagging wouldn't go away. Hikaru swatted at whatever it was as if it were a fly. No normal human being would ever be awake this early in the morning.

_Hikaruuuuu I wanna play._

The incessant whining made Hikaru wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"Go 'way Sai. I'm not re'dy to ge' up." He slurred most of his words. What could he say, he wasn't an early person.

Those words seemed to shut the person up, for which Hikaru was grateful. Those words… those words…

Hikaru bolted up in bed and would have bumped heads with the person above him if the other person had been alive. As it was, he passed right through the image. He took one long look at the person and did the only thing that was sensible in his sleep fogged brain. He screamed. Loud and hard. The apparition screamed right back. Hikaru backed a little too far and ended up falling off of the bed.

"Hikaru." His mothers' worried voice sounded from the stairs.

The door opened and she apprehensively looked around for whatever made her son scream. Hikaru looked up at his mother with wide eyes and couldn't decide who was scarier: a ghost who he'd thought long dead or his mother wielding a frying pan. As she swung it around dangerously, Hikaru opted for option number two. Mothers were scary creatures.

"Mom!" He yelled, getting her attention. "I'm alright now. It's ok. Calm down. Sheesh."

She huffed, clearly calmed down. "Well don't scream like that this early in the morning. I thought you were dieing."

He gave her a cheeky grin hoping it would work. "Sorry. I, uh, thought I saw a creepy spider on the ceiling." He rubbed the back of his head ruefully.

"Then you could have calmly… CALMLY mind you, come down and inform me about said spider and I would have dealt with it rationally." By then she was no longer paying attention to Hikaru or her invisible guest. "Really boys these days…" Her voice faded the further she got.

When it was evident that she wasn't returning, Hikaru slowly glanced behind him, almost afraid of what he would find. He let out a sigh of relief when he was met with violet eyes and a worried look.

"SAI!" Hikaru yelled. They both winced and waited for the signs of incoming trouble. Sensing none, Hikaru went on. "Sai, you're back!"

Hurriedly, he looked at the new goban he brought home the day before. There, on the corner, were unmistakably blood stains. The grin was quick to come.

"You're really back, Sai." His voice came out as a quiver, the tears welling up in his eyes.

_Yes, Hikaru. I'm back._ Sai smiled softly at him.

"Welcome back." Hikaru wiped

_It's good to be back…_ Hikaru felt like the sappy moment was almost over _... now can we go play?_

Hikaru nearly fell back onto the floor. As it was he gave Sai a very long, pained sigh.

"Don't you think about anything else other then Go?" He asked the ghost exasperatedly.

Sai chuckled. _Not really. Why?_ He knew exactly why judging from the mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Never mind. We have a lot of catching up to do." The pained expression in Sai's eyes had Hikaru chuckling. "Then we can go play but I wanna spend as much time with you as I can. Who know when you'll disappear again."

Sai chuckled. _Not for a very long time, Hikaru._

His voice soothed Hikaru but he could still remember, bitterly, the anguish he went through when he found Sai gone. He was sure the disbelief was clear in his eyes.

"Why did you leave Sai?" This was said in a whisper.

_The god's had two things in mind when they took me. One was that they wanted to play me at a game of Go. The other was something about you needing to grow up a bit. I see you've changed and matured a lot._

"Really?" Hikaru asked giving one of his cheeky grins.

Sai blinked and hesitated. _Er you've changed… I can feel it in your mind._ His lips thinned in disapproval. _Even if you don't show it outwardly._

Hikaru laughed and then sobered. "So the gods wanted to play you at Go hm?" His eyes were dancing.

_Yes and they said if I managed to beat them in one game then I could return here to be with you._ Sai looked excited.

"Those are pretty high stakes aren't they?" He asked. "I thought you couldn't return back here." His eyes held all the sadness he'd felt in the past year.

_Hikaru, when I first showed up to you, do you remember what I said? I asked if I could borrow a piece of your heart to dwell in. Once I inhabited your heart, nothing could take me away from you but death. Death took me away from Torajiou. Death will have to take me away from you. The god's just detained me for a little while._

"So I was right and you will be with me forever." His smile was one of relief.

_Yes. No worries._

"NO WORRIES! You idiot, you had me worried so much that I nearly quite Go. If I could shake your right now, I would. I've missed you for these three years." Sai knew he meant only half of what he said because of the twinkle in Hikaru's eyes but he held his spread fan in front of his face in defense just in case.

_I'm sorrrrrryyyy Hikaruuuuuuu._

Hikaru burst out laughing at the fake pained look on Sai's face. The ghost couldn't keep a straight face any longer and burst out laughing too.

"It's good to have you back." Hikaru smiled up at the ghost. He glanced at the clock by his bedside and let out a yelp. "Ahh, I have to go meet Touya at the salon!"

_Touya? You play with him now?_

Hikaru laughed. "Yeah. There's a lot I need to catch you up with. I'll fill you in as we go down to the salon."

He quickly got dressed and ran out the door. If he was late, Touya would be on his butt and wouldn't show mercy no matter the excuse he could come up with. He'd noticed that of all the people Touya hung out with, Hikaru was the only one he lost his cool with. Secretly, he was glad. It showed Hikaru that this friendship, or whatever they had, wasn't like any of the other people. He'd seen who Touya hung out with and personally thought that all those other people only saw Touya how they wanted to see him. Hikaru wanted to believe that only he saw Touya's real personality.

A worried Sai appeared in front of his face and Hikaru banished those thoughts out of his head. It was going to be hard to get used to having another person in his mind again. He worried what Sai would think if he knew what was going on in his mind. Disgusted probably because he sure was. It wasn't natural to have feelings like this about another boy.

A thousand years before, when Sai had been a living being, there had been no homosexuals. They were outright killed or outcasted. Hikaru had no reason to think Sai could be different. For all that they'd be living with each other for the rest of their lives, Hikaru was nearly certain that Sai would hate that existence if he ever found out about his little dark secret.

The arrival of the train brought him out of those dark thoughts and onto other more important ones. On the train ride, Hikaru filled Sai in about what had happened the last year. Sai was excited at the right parts, especially when it concerned Go, and was sad about the time when Hikaru nearly quite.

_I didn't expect you to go through so much pain._ Sai's expression clearly said that he blamed himself for Hikaru's suffering.

"No, don't blame yourself. Thanks to everything I went through, I grew up. I learned to treasure those I care about." He smiled softly at Sai. "If you hadn't left, I wouldn't have grown up. Cheer up. It's not like you to be down."

_Sure Hikaru. After you play Touya, can we go play a game somewhere? I've missed being here._

"Ok. Sounds good." The train stopped and they got off. "How about if I let you play internet Go?" At Sai's happy bouncing, Hikaru grinned. "I've been thinking about a couple of things kind of off hand but I think I'll take those thoughts a bit more seriously now that you're here."

_Ne, ne, Hikaru? Don't keep secrets from me. I don't like secrets!_ He hopped from foot to foot in his impatience.

Hikaru gave him a wicked grin. "Nope. You'll find out when I decide for sure."

Sai bit the edge of his robe and ghostly tears flowed out of his eyes. _You're so mean!_

"Yup and proud of it." He winked at the ghost.

That was the last sentence because they'd arrived at the Go center. The doors automatically opened and they walked into the center. Having been here quite a few times, Hikaru greeted the desk lady and veered to the table where Touya was already waiting for him. He stood up when Hikaru arrived.

"Where have you been? You're late." The heat in his eyes made Hikaru grin sheepishly.

"I ran into some problems." He eyed Touya and decided to get it out right here and now. "Why do you need to know my business anyway?"

Sai was biting the edge of his robe again. Touya slammed his hands down on the table and glared at Hikaru. The people who were playing, got up and left. The muttered comments of 'young children' reach their ears but they paid no attention.

"Of course I need to know your business when it affects my business." He yelled.

"Your business won't suffer just because I'm a few minutes late Touya. Grow up!"

"You grow up! I would never be late so neither should you!"

"Ha! Normal people are late. I'm normal."

"You're not normal, Shindou. You're lazy. There's a difference."

Hikaru stamped his foot and fell into the chair. "Let's play!" he yelled, refusing to concede defeat.

Unlike Hikaru, Touya sat gracefully down into his chair. Hikaru eyed Touya out of the corner of his eye. Touya definitely looked more loosened up as he began the game. He could tell that the smaller boy was tense because of something. He needed that fight to loosen up. Hikaru was glad. Touya would never admit that he needed his fights with Hikaru to get rid of stress and Hikaru would never admit to helping. It's what made their friendship so nice.

_Hikaru? What was that! I thought you two were going to kill each other._ Sai's voice sounded amused.

Hikaru used mind speech to answer. _Oh don't worry about that. We do it all the time. This is kinda why I said we're sort of friends. Not many people can see how we can be friends but we are._

At Sai's surprised look, Hikaru reviewed what he'd just said and nearly groaned aloud. He'd let some of his affection out in those sentences. _Hikaru no baka._ He mentally berated himself. Why not just go right out and tell Sai that he was in love with his friend? Hikaru stomped out that thought fast. He didn't need Sai to get a hold of any of those stray thoughts.

After a couple of minutes, Hikaru noticed that Touya kept glancing over Hikaru's left shoulder. After placing a stone, Hikaru glance over his left shoulder and only saw Sai intensely watching the game. He looked back at Touya.

"What are you looking at?"

Touya frowned. "Your friend. It's rude to fight in front of him and then not introduce him."

"What friend?" Hikaru asked, truly confused.

"Now you ignore him. That's really low Shindou-san." Touya got up and placed his hands on the goban, giving Hikaru a glare. "The friend right behind you. The one with the tall hat."

Both Hikaru and Sai jumped when Touya said that. Hikaru blinked several times just to be sure he heard what he heard.

_Hikaru, if I were alive I think I would faint._ Hikaru heard the amazement in Sai's voice.

_You're not the only one except I AM alive._

_Don't faint now Hikaru. Fainting would most definitely be a problem right now._ Sai's voice was very dry and Hikaru realized that Sai was attempting dry humor in the light of a catastrophe. Hikaru was eternally thankful he had Sai back.

_I'm no woman Sai so you don't have to worry about that._

"Touya…" He whispered the name. "You can see him?"

"Of course I can see him." Touya gave him a very frustrated look Touya pointed directly at Sai. "Right there. Your friend."

Hikaru did the only thing his poor, suffering shocked brain could think of doing… he ran. It must have been what Sai was thinking, too, because he was only a split second behind him. Ichikawa-san already held out his backpack thinking the two of them were fighting again. Hikaru didn't mind because it helped him get away faster. He heard his name being called but he didn't slow down at all.

Somehow, Hikaru knew that Touya was following him. He didn't ask why or how because he didn't have time to dwell on that at the moment but he just knew. In fact, Touya followed them all the way to the train station. Hikaru was desperate to get away from Touya and nearly wooped in glee when he found his train was just beginning to close. He shoved open the doors and squeezed into the train, Sai right behind him.

He turned around to see Touya banging on the glass door. Hikaru put his hands on the spot where Touya's were banging. He felt like this was the last time in a long time that he would see his friend, rival, secret love. He felt like he was tearing off a piece of himself and leaving it behind. A single tear fell from his eyes as the train began leaving the station, leaving Touya behind.


	3. Discussions and the Past

A/N: Here's another one. Hope you all enjoy. Special thanks to all my reviewers. I love you all. –glomps reviewers- Hope this measures up to my previous chapters.

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter 2: Discussions and the Past**

The soft pa'ching of the stones was the only thing that could be heard in the room. Neither Hikaru nor Sai felt like talking after what had happened. So they turned to neutral direction and started playing Go. For the first time in three years the two were playing together and it felt really good. No matter how good it felt, the incident earlier that day still hovered like a dark cloud over their game. Neither man nor ghost smiled which was odd for both of them.

Both were deep in their own thoughts as they played the game. It became evident they weren't really thinking about the game when Hikaru looked at the board and blinked in surprise. He couldn't tell what move went first and what the heck they were doing now. Sai apparently did the same because he grinned sheepishly at Hikaru before lying down.

Hikaru took the action to mean that the game was over and Sai was allowing Hikaru to clean up the stones. He did so quickly.

"How could Touya have seen you Sai?" Hikaru nearly jumped when he heard his own voice. He hadn't thought of saying anything, it just popped out. For all of his eighteen years, Hikaru knew he still sometimes acted as if he were eight.

Sai let out a long drawn sigh. _I don't know. I've been thinking about it but it doesn't make sense. Only you are supposed to be able to see me._

"You're right, it doesn't make sense." Hikaru flopped onto the floor next to Sai.

Suddenly, Hikaru screamed in frustration scaring Sai to his feet. Hikaru rolled around on the floor clutching his head. Then he stopped and stood up.

"Nope. That didn't help at all." When Sai 'fell' onto the floor, Hikaru laughed. "But I feel better now. Don't you?" He laughed hard at Sai's pained expression.

_Hikaruuuu…_ Sai whined. _That wasn't even funny._

"Yes it was." Hikaru countered.

There was a knock on the door and Hikaru's mother stepped into the room.

"Hikaru, are you alright? You've been acting weird since this morning." She sounded genuinely worried.

Hikaru sighed and then gave his mother a cheeky grin. "Don't worry mom. I'm fine. Just can't figure something out."

"Well if you need me, I'm always here." She smiled warmly.

Hikaru suddenly got an idea. "Hey Mom, I'm going to give you a story problem and I want you to figure it out. Ok?"

"Sure Hikaru. Anything you like." That smile never left her face.

"I heard this story at a Go center and it's been bugging me. A man finds a ghost who says that he needs part of the mans' heart to live in and the man agrees. Years later the man's best friend tells the man that he can see the ghost. This confuses the man because it was only supposed to be him who saw the ghost." He smiled when he saw the determined look on her face. "The people at the center didn't tell me why the man's friend could see the ghost and it's been bugging me."

Suddenly, she smiled. "The man's best friend must have been a girl that he'd fallen in love with. Because she now inhabited a part of the man's heart, she could now see the ghost." She clapped her hands in delight. "That's the only thing I can think of that makes any sense." One look at her son's stunned expression and she smile compassionately. "See, your mother can be smart when she wants to be."

With that she turned around and left. Hikaru was sure he could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. He risked a look at Sai and wished he hadn't. Sai was looking at him in stunned surprise, mouth gapping open.

His eyes grew serious and he looked at Hikaru with his Go playing eyes. _Is what she say's true? Now that I think of it, it's true. It's the only thing that makes sense._

Hikaru looked at the floor and clutched his hands into fists. He hadn't meant for all of this coming out like this or this soon. He didn't even know that it would happen.

"Yes." He whispered.

_But… Touya isn't a girl._ The sound of Sai being confused made Hikaru look up at him. There was a look of understanding but Sai was still confused.

Hikaru sighed. He figured that he owed his best friend an explanation. "Yes, Touya's a boy. Why do you think I didn't want to say anything? For years I've been chasing after him and him me. I was so obsessed with Touya as my rival that I couldn't see anything or anyone around me. Akari was the first person who gave me the idea."

_Flashback_

It was a nice day out so Hikaru decided to invite Akari and Mitani out to go to some Go salons. They both accepted because they wanted to spend Hikaru's 17th birthday with him. The three of them stepped into a salon and grabbed a board and started playing. Akari had demanded that Hikaru teach her. He'd agreed just to keep his childhood friend quiet. Girls were so annoying. That's exactly what he'd thought at the time.

"No. Akari don't put your stone there. You're leaving yourself wide open for an attack right here." He pointed. Mitani nodded. "Now the right way of doing it would be to place a stone here." He pointed to a different spot on the board. "But, if you were Touya, then you'd place your stone here. That would effectively cut me off here and then allow you to build on it after you cut me off a little bit more."

Akari had given him a weird look. Hikaru wasn't good at translating looks so he didn't even try. Perhaps she thought he was so good and it was a look of wonder. No, he'd seen her looks of wonder at his playing skills and that was most definitely not it.

"I see. But Hikaru, I don't understand it. Why place this stone here right now if you're going to build on it later. Why not later?"

Hikaru huffed. "Think like a pro Akari. If you go on and play your stones the usual way and then place that stone then your opponent will follow you and cut you off. If you place the stone now, then your opponent will maybe forget about it and then you'd have the advantage. With amateur skills like that, pros like Touya would eat you alive."

Hikaru almost failed to notice the look the passed between Akari and Mitani. He'd caught it but he was so confused that he'd let it pass. Those two were seriously starting to piss him off. Maybe it had been a bad idea to invite them out for his 17th birthday.

"Hey, Shindou? Do you have like a thing for Touya? He's all you ever think about." Mitani accused almost harshly.

Hikaru had jumped, startled. "N-no. If I want to beat Touya, then I have to think like him. That's all."

"That's all?" Akari challenged. "Nearly every other sentence has been Touya this and Touya that. Are you sure you aren't gay?" The fire in Akari's eyes made Hikaru scared. "I've been following you for years, waiting for you to notice me but you never look my way. All someone has to do is mention Touya in passing and you're hooked. All you think about then is Touya."

Growing serous, Hikaru thought about what she'd said. Now that he thought about it, wherever he went, Akari was sure to follow. When he was playing soccer, Akari learned about it and started practicing with him. When he'd switched overnight to Go, Akari had followed. The looks she'd given him, the time she'd spent with him, everything she'd done only made sense if that person was deeply in love with the other. Hikaru felt his heart ache. Not with love but with sadness. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't return her feelings. And he did try. He couldn't find a scrap of love in his heart for the girl.

Seeing the decision in Hikaru's eyes, Akari spoke up again. "See. Now you know. This wasn't how I've dreamed of making a confession but it works since you've turned me down." When she saw the sadness in his eyes, she laughed. "Oh don't worry Hikaru. I think I've known what your answer would be for a long time. I'm alright. But you, on the other hand, can't notice that you've only got eyes for Touya."

Hikaru saw the tears welling up briefly in Akari's eyes and it broke his heart. He never meant to hurt his childhood friend. He couldn't say anything because this was Akari's choice. She'd told him she would be alright and he believed her. If he didn't, she'd give him a beating he wouldn't forget. Yes, better to leave her alone to deal with her broken feelings. That's how she liked doing things.

"But Touya's a guy." He stated simply.

"So?" Akari countered. "There's such a thing as being gay or even bisexual. Think about it when you get home. Ok?" She said the last very softly.

Even though she had a broken heart, she was still trying to do the best thing for him. He'd felt regret that he couldn't love Akari and then he'd squashed it. She deserved better then him and his measly feelings of regret, much better. But she also deserved an answer to her question. It was the least he could do.

"Ok. I'll think about it."

She'd smiled softly and it wasn't mentioned again that day. They'd gone to several different salons and he'd tried to forget about Touya but he'd noticed that it just wasn't going to happen. Every time Akari or Mitani placed a stone, the ghostly image of Touya would show up in his eyes and he'd be thinking of what Touya might do in such-and-such situation. Perhaps Akari had the right of it. Perhaps he was gay.

_End of Flashback_

"I went home later that night and seriously thought about it. It was then that I realized my feelings for Touya had grown into love and respect."

_And what happened to Akari? I liked her._ The sadness in Sai's eyes made Hikaru chuckle.

"A few weeks later, I hooked her and Mitani up. She was so infatuated with me that she couldn't see that she was falling in love with Mitani. With me out of the way, she was free to feel what she felt for him. They've been dating ever since and I've never seen Akari happier."

Sai smiled and nodded. _That's good. But how about your problem?_

Hikaru's smile disappeared. "I haven't done anything. I spend all the extra time I can with Touya but neither of us really have time to hang out together." He grew nervous. "Sai? Does this mean you don't hate me?"

_Hate you? Ah, you think there weren't any gay people in the emperor's palace or in my era._ He smiled warmly at Hikaru's confused look. _ In my era, it was common for men to marry and then take another man as a lover in the shadows. The emperor had a wife and many lovers. Not all of them were female. We just weren't as… outspoken about our sexual preference as in this era._

"Oh." Hikaru let out a sigh of relief. "Man that's great!" He flopped back down onto the floor. "I thought you were going to try to kill me or yourself if you found out."

_Is that why you didn't tell me? The one closest to you?_ The hurt in Sai's eyes made Hikaru study the ancient ghost.

"Yes. That's why."

_I'm glad. But Hikaru? Next time tell me everything. I don't like secrets being kept from me. Ok Hikaru? HIKARUUUU!_ Sai whined, wrapping his hands around Hikaru's neck trying to strangle him.

"AHH! Fine, fine. I understand Sai. I'll tell you anything that's really important like that!" Apparently satisfied, Sai unwrapped his hands and sat on the floor.

_So, are you planning of avoiding Touya forever?_

Sai's question made him think. "No. Not forever. Just until I figure out what I'm going to do and what I'm going to say. It could take a while." His hand moved up to his aching chest. "Hopefully not too long. This pain is really starting to hurt."

Sai studied his chest and then him. _I think when you left Touya, you really did leave a piece of your heart with him. As your feelings for him grows, more of your heart will belong to him._

Hikaru got up, startled. "Will this hurt you?"

Sai frowned thoughtfully. _No. I claimed that piece of your heart a long time ago. He can't take what is already taken._

Hikaru let out another sigh of relief. "Good. I can't do anything that would endanger you." Sai wasn't listening. He was looking out the dark window in thought. "Sai?"

_Hm? Oh. Sorry Hikaru. I wasn't listening._

Hikaru smiled indulgently. "It's ok. What were you thinking about anyway?"

Sai frowned deeply. _I was just thinking about that time. I talked to you but it appeared that Touya couldn't hear me. Don't you think that's strange?_

"Now that you mentioned it, yes, I think it's really strange. What could that mean?" Now it was Hikaru's turn to frown.

_I just don't know. This is the first time this has ever happened. Torajio never married so we never had this problem._

"I see. I guess we'll just have to figure it out as the time go." Hikaru smiled at Sai. "But for now, it's time for bed. We have a lot of catching up to do and a lot to do. I've better get as much sleep as I can.

He quickly got up and got dressed for bed. He hopped into bed and turned out the lights. He then turned around to face Sai.

"It's really good to have you back Sai."

_It's really good to be back, Hikaru. I've missed you._

"Me too."

Hikaru's eyes gently closed and he was asleep before he knew it. His dreams were, for once, not sad thoughts about a certain ghost but happy ones. He now had Sai to watch over him at night in person.


	4. Of Akira and Questions

A/N: Ha! Got it done. Hope ya all love this one too. I really liked writing this chapter. It was fun to get into the mind of Akira. Poor little angsty thing. –chuckles evilly- bad me.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Nope. I can dream can't I? Wish it were mine. Star light, star bright, make my wish come true tonight… I want to own Hikaru no Go… I can't have it. –cries- you're so mean!

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter 5: Of Akira and Questions**

Touya Akira was impatient. The person he got stuck playing was the type to spend all of his minutes thinking. He glanced over at Shindou and nearly let out a snarl when he saw him get up. Shindou was done with his game. Akira had been hoping to end his game quick enough so he could catch Shindou and talk to him.

Ever since that game a week ago, Shindou had been avoiding him. It was especially frustrating because he didn't know what he did to deserve being avoided. When he'd thought that today he'd be able to talk to him, Shindou showed up late, effectively killing that plan.

His opponent moved and Akira was right behind him. This person was annoyingly slow, even if Akira had all the time in the world.

He turned his attention back to Shindou and saw that he was up at the table. That friend of his never left his side. The man leaned down and must have said something because Shindou turned and looked at Akira. Akira was confused when he saw the blush stain Shindou's cheeks.

By some unspoken thought, Shindou's friend moved to block him from Akira's view. The frustration rose up in Akira again. This was annoying. He used his friend to hide him from Akira. He nearly let out a scream but quickly composed himself. Only Shindou could invoke these feelings within him.

His opponent finally moved and Akira was right behind him again. When he looked back over to the table, Shindou was gone. Akira clenched his hand into a fist and began thinking. What was it about Shindou that made him lose his cool? Why him? Why not someone else?

These questions, he'd been asking for the last few years with no answers. He'd lain awake at night trying to figure these questions out. A week ago, more questions arose with the appearance of Shindou's friend. Why would Shindou run out after Akira had said he could see him? Who was he? What was he doing following Shindou around? Is this jealousy? Why?

He tossed and turned every night that week without getting any closer to any answers. His opponent went again and Akira placed a stone. It was getting closer to the end of the game. Soon his opponent would be able to see the end game just as he did. Soon he'd be able to get answers to his endless questions.

Fifteen minutes later saw him cleaning up the stones and the other person crying. Akira stood up and left without a glance behind him. There was a reason why people called him cold. But he wasn't cold and only Shindou knew that.

He walked up to the table. The man behind the table gave Akira a warm smile.

"So you won eh Touya-kun?" He knew Akira was nearly unbeatable.

"Aa. Ishidara-san? Shindou won his match right?" Ishidara nodded. "Would you happen to know who his friend was?"

"His friend?" Ishidara gave Akira a confused look.

"Yes. The one following behind him. The tall one with the weird outfit." This conversation was confusing Akira.

"I saw no one with Shindou-kun. I would have noticed if he was wearing an odd outfit." Ishidara smiled patiently. "You must have been seeing things."

"No, I…" Akira cut off his own sentence. Something didn't make sense here.

Without another word, Akira turned and left. He walked to the train station and caught the train home. He didn't even notice the time pass by. Before he knew it, he was walking in the front door of his house. He was taking off his shoes, still deep in thought, when he felt something on his shoulder. He jumped. His mothers' warm smile greeted him.

"I said 'welcome home' but you must have missed it." She stated.

"Sorry Mother. I was thinking about something."

"I can see that." There was amusement in her eyes. "Your father wants to talk to you." She said kindly. "He's in the Go room."

"Thank you Mother." Akira dutifully said.

She nodded and Akira walked to the Go room. He knocked softly on the door and was gained admittance. He walked in and sat at the goban in front of his father. He picked up the white stones and placed a stone. Not talking, his father placed a black stone. Akira countered and placed another stone.

Fifteen stones later, his father finally spoke.

"You're worrying your mother. She told me that you're not sleeping well. It's showing in your matches as well. I've noticed."

Akira's back stiffened. "It's fine, Father. It's my problem and I will work it out." He placed a stone to attack his fathers' on a part of the board.

The elder Touya looked long and hard at his son. "It has something to do with that Shindou kid, doesn't it?" He stated. He placed a stone that counterattacked his son's.

Akira's hands clenched into fists. "Perhaps." He placed a stone that balanced the counterattack. Akira knew that he needed to do something to get the lead from his father.

Suddenly, his father put his arms into his sleeves and leaned back. "You've been chasing after him for the past six or so years. You've been rivals for three years and the last three you've been very good friends. From what I hear, neither of you hang out with girls your age nor do you talk to many." He attacked one of Akira's weak points.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Akira demanded lightly, placing a stone to weaken his fathers attack.

"You're eighteen now, my son. You should be hanging out with girls your own age, dating them, flirting with them. You do none of that. Any flirts you have, you've wasted on Shindou." He placed a stone that attacked another one of his. He was on a roll. Akira couldn't see the end game but he knew he was losing badly.

"Girls are so annoying. I can't stand when they come to my table and drool all over me. They don't pay attention to the game I'm explaining or anything. It's like they didn't even come to my table for help with their game. I couldn't stand someone like that." He explained placing a stone to hopefully hold off his father's merciless attacks.

"Then what about some of the girl pros. I believe there are several that passed the last few years that have their sights on you. They know how to play and they're good looking." He placed a stone, mind only half on the game.

Akira's lips thinned. "None of them appeal to me. They're not interesting. None of them see me for who I am. All they see is the son of the former Meijin, brilliant at the game of Go and coldhearted to nearly everyone. Only Shindou has seen me as me. Brilliant Go player and teenager. He sees me as a person. No one else sees me like that. He can see my heart that's just like his. He knows me just as I know him. That's all there is to it." He placed a stone and then his hand froze when he realized what he'd just said.

His father smiled evilly. "There you go." He placed the deciding stone that won him the game. "There's the answer to your questions."

Akira's hand was still frozen over the board. He'd just said… His eyes darted to his fathers'. Able to move his hand now, he placed it over his aching heart and looked down at it.

"I…" He couldn't finish his own sentence.

His father seemed to understand. "Yes, I believe you're in love with Shindou." His eyes danced as he cleared the board.

Akira jumped at the word 'love'. "Love? He's a boy. I'm a boy. He's just my rival." As soon as he said it, he knew it was a weak word.

Touya Koyo sighed, the frown back on his face. "Yes, you are both boys. He is your rival for sure. He will one day be as good as you if not better. Your mother and I have talked about this and we cannot stop loving you no matter what you chose. We'd be a lot happier and much more comfortable if you'd chosen a nice girl to settle down with but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I can see the end of this game just as I could see the end of that game." He gestured to the board. "All we can do is wish you happiness and luck."

Akira looked down at his hands, refusing to cry. He'd never cried and he refused to start now. "I- I don't know what to say."

"Say you accept our decision and be glad about it." He said gruffly. "I've already been angry about this and have gotten over it." He stopped for a moment and then went on. "By the way, your mother and I are considering moving to China for a few years. Their professional players are amazing and just a could of weeks does not satisfy me.

"What!" Akira exclaimed, shock heavy in his voice. "When did you decide this?"

"Calm down Akira." He sighed. "A long time ago. We didn't want to leave because we knew you wouldn't. Now that you're eighteen, we can go do whatever we want to. We can travel to China, Korea and America. We'll leave the house for you or you can move out. We don't really care. It's up to you to decide. You're an adult now. Start acting like it." With that he got up and left the room.

Alone, the thoughts in his head kept going around and around. In love with Shindou? How could that be possible? Was it true?

He thought back to his conversation with his dad and grudgingly agreed that it was probably true. He knew the other boy as well as the back of his hand. He knew who Shindou was and wasn't playing, when, how and why. He knew when Shindou won and lost and not just because he asked. He knew the other boy's facial expressions well. He could tell when the other was frustrated and when the other was excited even though it was near impossible to tell when he had his game face on.

When Shindou's friend started hanging out with him, Akira had actually got jealous. He was sure Shindou's friend could see it written all over his face. That was embarrassing. He now knew what he felt toward the other boy. It was as clear as a cloudless day.

With that thought, another popped into his head. Before Shindou was alienating him, he'd mentioned that he was thinking about moving out. Perhaps things would make more sense if they lived together. Akira decided that it wouldn't hurt to at least ask.

He got up and walked out of the room. His father was nowhere to be seen which wasn't unusual. He bid his mother a quick good-bye and rushed out of the house. He called Shindou's house while at the train station. He was told that he wasn't home and mentioned going to an internet café after his matches. He politely thanked the woman, probably Shindou's mother, and thought about where to go. He then remembered the café he'd caught Shindou in that one time all those years ago. He still remembered where it was.

He grabbed the train, all the while thinking of how to ask Shindou about living together. He would figure something out on the way there. He just had to. His life depended on it. Resolutely, he stepped off of the train and walked out of the station. He walked around the corner and bumped into someone. Breathlessly, he apologized to whoever he bumped into and looked up to meet the bright green eyes of Shindou Hikaru, the person who held onto his heart, the person he'd been looking for.


	5. Of the Internet and Runins

A/N: Sorry this is out late… ran into lots of problems yesterday. I can verify that yesterday was by far the worst day in my life. I won't go into gritty details because the chapter /is/ up. I hope you all enjoy. I actually wrote this thing to be around 15 pages before I figured out I'd cut it into 2 chapters. The sixth chapter should be up today as well so look for it. Thanks for all the reviews.

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter 5: Of the Internet and Run-ins**

A week passed by without incident. There was one time that Hikaru was afraid might force him to talk to Touya and that was at the dan tournament on Wednesday. He'd walked into the building late because Touya was playing in the same room that day. He'd sat down, Sai sitting down behind him, and he could feel Touya's eyes on them. He'd looked over and, sure enough, there was Touya watching him.

He'd looked very frustrated at not being able to talk to him. Hikaru was happy that he was late. He was also relieved that he'd come. That week away from Touya had been a living nightmare for Hikaru. When he'd gone to school, he was required to play sports in his physical education class. It would have been enjoyable if he hadn't felt this huge pain in his heart. After running for the first ten minutes, he'd been on the ground clutching his heart. The teacher had rushed him to the infirmary but they'd found nothing wrong. The second time it happened, the teachers allowed Hikaru to sit out the class period.

Akari asked Hikaru what was wrong and Hikaru was forced to brush her off, much to Mitani's anger. He'd yelled long and hard at Hikaru for upsetting his Akari. Then the two of them left Hikaru alone and he hadn't seen them since.

His opponent was watching him cautiously so Hikaru decided to get on with the game. He needed to be done with this game before Touya or his being late had no purpose.

He managed to get black and began speed playing. Every time he shot out a move, his opponent winced. No matter how slow the guy went, Hikaru was never hampered with his moves.

_Hikaruuu! You're going too fast._ Sai whined.

_No I'm not. Watch._

Fast, he cut off his opponent at their two most critical points and finished the play. His opponent was shivering.

"I-I resign." Came the whispered comment from his opponent.

"Thank you for the game." Hikaru mechanically responded.

_See._ His mental word was smug. Sai looked at him reprovingly.

_Playing that fast could get you in trouble._ Sai reprimanded.

_It was fine with this type of person. I'll think harder when there's someone worth it._

_Like Touya. _Sai's eyes grew mischievous.

Unwillingly, Hikaru's eyes drifted to Touya. Grey-blue eyes locked with his green ones and he blushed. Why is it that Sai only had to mention Touya and he went searching for him? Hikaru could feel the curse rising in his thoughts. He stomped on it before it could make it to his top thoughts.

_Hide me._ Hikaru pleaded with Sai.

Sai's eyes were dancing when he moved in front of Hikaru. _You realize how redundant you sound when you ask a ghost to hide you._

Hikaru rolled his eyes. _You really don't have to remind me._ He informed the amused ghost. _I WAS going to take you to the internet café so you could play Go again but…_ He left the sentence hanging.

Sai was all of a sudden hyper. _Hikaru, you're so mean! Tell me that was just a threat. I wanna play! _He yelled, crying. _I came back to play with you Hikaru so let me play. I wanna play._

Hikaru laughed. _Fine. Let's go before Touya gets done._

Sai's eyes lit up when Hikaru said that. They left the building and grabbed the first train they could catch. It didn't take long to get to the internet café. Mitani's sister was at the front desk.

After six years, she still worked there. She said she liked the atmosphere and once and while a nice kid would come in and talk with her when he wasn't playing Go. Her eyes locked on his so he wouldn't be mistaken just who the kid was. She found out about his part in hooking up her brother with his childhood friend, Akari. She told him, for as long as she worked in that café, he'd be able to use the computers for free if he wanted. She'd never seen her brother so happy and it was thanks to Hikaru that they were together.

He sat down at the computer and quickly logged on. It had been a while but, in between the three years Sai was gone, Hikaru had got pretty efficient with the computer.

"Now, let's see if anyone remembers you. Right, Sai?" Hikaru grinned over his shoulder.

Sai smiled but his attention was on the little machine. Hikaru indulged the ghost and logged in. For the first ten minutes, no one challenged him. Hikaru was about to take the initiative and invite someone to a match when it popped up. Someone had issued the match.

It was like old times. The challenges were never ending. Some of the challengers were difficult and some he could tell were beginners. No matter what, he had people watching his games. The rooms were always very full. Sai looked to be in dream-land. His eyes glowed when he told Hikaru a point; his fan movements were more crisp and commanding. Hikaru was very glad he'd thought of going to the café.

"Guess people haven't forgotten about you." Hikaru grinned at Sai.

Sai grinned back. _I'm glad. This is fun._

To keep the tradition, Hikaru ignored any attempt to talk to him. He would remain unknown to the internet Go community. When it was almost time for him to leave, a challenge popped up on the screen. He was about to refuse it when he saw the nick. It was 'Ogata'. Hikaru nearly dropped the mouse he was holding in his shock.

"It's Ogata-sensei. What do I do?" Hikaru asked Sai breathlessly.

He looked up at Sai and blinked when his eyes met Sai's hard ones. They had already transformed into the serious Go player eyes. Hikaru's lips thinned when he realized that Sai was probably not going to back away from this fight willingly.

"I guess I'll just accept." He received a soft smile from Sai. "There. Accepted. Let's set the clock for 3 hours. There. Good I'm black. I get to go first."

Sai wasn't paying attention to Hikaru but he knew that. He was talking to himself to calm down. He vividly remembered when Ogata had shoved him against a wall in his excitement to play Sai. He'd only been sixteen then. Sai's return must have nearly given Ogata a heart attack. He was actually a little glad that Ogata could play Sai right now. Perhaps that would keep the older man away from him. Hikaru had got quite deft at avoiding Ogata. The older man always asked if he could play Sai whenever he saw Hikaru. When Sai was gone, it had been a painful memory.

Sai firmly stated a point and Hikaru clicked a stone onto it. Ogata was quick placing his stone. This was how it went for two hours. Every once and a while Hikaru would look at Sai and realize that he couldn't tell if he was being pushed into a corner or if he was attacking. Sai's face never changed expressions. He must have been really into the game to do that.

The moves were brilliant on both sides. Hikaru memorized each detail so he could ask Sai about them later. Sai was never a talker during a difficult game so Hikaru never attempted to talk to him. He could tell that Ogata was getting frustrated. His moves were become a bit clumsier with time. This was definitely not quite up to par with the game played with the Meijin but it was close.

When the resign message came on the screen, Hikaru let out the breath he was holding. He'd been afraid that Ogata might try something else to win the game. It had been intense.

"You won, Sai." Hikaru gave Sai a huge grin that was returned. Now that the game was over, Sai was more animated.

_That was a worthy game._ He commented. _I would like to play him again sometime._

Hikaru nodded. "I'll see when I can get time to come down here again."

Sai nodded his agreement. Hikaru logged out and got up. He stretched and yawned and then looked at the clock.

"Oh, look at the time. We've been here for hours!"

Mitani's sister laughed. "Wow, thought you were going to spend the night here." She winked at him to show she was joking. "How'd it go?"

Hikaru laughed back. "Great! We beat everyone."

"We?" She frowned in confusion.

Hikaru jumped and put a hand over his mouth. "I mean 'I'. I beat everyone." He laughed nervously.

She cocked her head to the side and then shrugged. "That's great. You must be really good to do that."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Not really. I just got really lucky. I'll see you later Mitani's sister."

He ran out of the café and turned toward the train station.

"Wow that was close. Almost screwed it up back there." He laughed and looked at Sai who was also smiling. "Hm, the train station should be right around this corner." He told the ghost.

He turned the corner and bumped into someone. The other person was knocked down but Hikaru caught himself. The other person was apologizing when Hikaru lent a hand to help. They both looked at each other and Hikaru's green eyes met stormy blue ones. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Touya's eyes widen.

_It's Touya._ Sai pointed out.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Of course it's Touya. I can see that. Thank you for pointing out the obvious Sai."

Sai and Touya both gasped. _Uh… Hikaru?_

"What?" He turned to glare at the ghost.

Sai was in turn pointing at Touya. He turned around and blinked. Touya's eyes were half the size of his face. He kept looking back and forth between Hikaru and Sai. That's when remembered what he'd said aloud. He'd said Sai's name aloud.

His mouth dropped open. He was about to say something when Touya spoke up.

"We need to talk."

He grabbed Hikaru's hand and pulled him along to the train station. Hikaru didn't protest. He knew they had to talk, he was just hoping it wouldn't come this soon.

He also should have paid attention. Ever since Sai had returned, he knew where Touya was at all times. If he was getting closer to Hikaru, he'd run the opposite direction to avoid him. Tonight he hadn't paid attention and now Touya was right in front of him. The only good thing about it was the fact that his chest didn't hurt anymore.

Things were getting interesting. Hikaru wondered where Touya was taking him and then sighed. He'd find out when Touya wanted him to find out. He could be patient when he wanted to be. Today was going to be interesting, Hikaru knew that.


	6. Of Questions, Answers and Confessions

A/N: here we go. Wow I loved this chapter. Tell me all what you thought. There will be more out. I just don't know when. I'm not done with this fic by far. Tell me if you think if I should go on or if I should stop it here. Anywho, I apologize if any of the characters are ooc. I tried my hardest to keep them in character.

Disclaimer: No I don't own Hikaru no Go. Boo on me. –sniffle- Life's just not fair.

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter six: Of Questions, Answers and Confessions**

They stepped off the train and Hikaru looked around. They were at a ritzy part of the town. No one spoke as they made their way down the streets. When they'd walked for ten minutes, Hikaru ventured to say something.

"So, where are we going?" The expression on Touya's face never changed.

"My house. It's convenient and quiet."

"Oh. I've never been to your house before."

Touya sniffed. "I know that. This way. Don't fall behind."

Hikaru stamped his foot in frustration and picked up his pace. Really, Touya was sometime just too much. At the end of one street, they turned right and Hikaru found himself standing in front of a huge house. The nameplate said Touya Household and there was a huge iron gate baring the front.

Touya unlocked the gate and pushed it open. Hikaru followed timidly, Sai right behind him. Touya closed and locked the gate. He then led them to the front of the house and held open the door for them to walk into.

Hikaru found himself in a huge entryway. There were pegs along the wall to hold coats and a nice decorative basket to hold umbrellas. The place was shining so much that he thought he might have to shield his eyes from the glare. Everything in the house spoke of money and order. Everything he didn't have.

Hikaru started to feel really sorry for Touya if he had to grow up in a house like this. His dad was bad enough being as intense as he was but a house this clean was unhealthy for a child. He took off his shoes when he noticed that his host had already done so and laid them next to the other pair. He made sure to line them up neatly so he wouldn't give Touya a reason to yell at him. When Touya glared at Sai, Hikaru looked at him and then realized the reason.

"Trust me Touya, he can't take off his shoes." He hoped Touya would believe him.

Touya turned his head and walked down the hallway. A woman was just leaving the kitchen when they passed by. Hikaru recognized her as Touya's mother. He'd met her once when the elder Touya was in the hospital. She smiled warmly at her son and then turned to him. Her eyes grew wide but she gave him a smile.

"I see you brought your friend home with you." She commented.

"I ran into him downtown." Touya replied.

"Ah. Will you two be in your bedroom?" She asked kindly.

"Yes. We will." Touya replied shortly.

She laughed. "Well I'll bring some tea up for you two. Perhaps some snacks as well." With that, she turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

Hikaru looked at Touya's mom and then looked at Touya to discover him gone. Touya had already gone ahead.

"Hey! Wait for me." He ran to catch up with the smaller boy.

Touya gave him a look Hikaru decided to translate into his I-told-you-to-keep-up look. That got Hikaru more frustrated.

_Calm down Hikaru. He's probably just as frustrated as you are. Remember how he looked this morning._

_That doesn't matter. He doesn't need to treat me this way. Sheesh. When I thought I figured this guy out, he goes and does something different. It's annoying._

They walked into what Hikaru figured was Touya's room and the first word that popped into his head was 'neat'. Very neat. He had a computer on his desk by the bed, which was made up very neatly. The books he owned were stacked by height in the bookcase. The kifu's he had were piled in a nice pile on his desk and labeled in case he needed to find one fast.

If Hikaru had known nothing else but Touya's name, walking into his room would have told him that Touya was a Go fanatic. In the middle of the floor was an expensive looking goban. Touya walked around it and sat down. Hikaru followed his example.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Hikaru asked after a moments silence.

Touya glared at Sai. "Him. Who is he? Where did he come from? How old is he? What does he mean to you? And, last but not least, how long have you two known each other?" He pursed his lips and leaned back against the bed as if waiting.

"Wow. That's a lot of questions. Um…" Hikaru hesitated and looked at Sai who nodded.

_Tell him. He sounds very jealous of me. _There was laughter in Sai's eyes.

Hikaru sighed and opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Touya's mother knocked and walked in. She held a tray with two steaming cups of tea on it.

"I see you two are already in some sort of debate." She said nicely.

She set one cup of tea down on the ground next to Hikaru but, because Hikaru was blocking the way to Touya, she had to go the other way around to give her son the other cup. Sai was sitting between her and Touya. Before she walked through him, Touya yelled out.

"Watch out, Mom!"

She missteped and halted half way through Sai's body. Touya gapped.

"Why did you yell out like that Akira? I nearly spilled your tea." She admonished.

She walked the rest of the way through Sai and set the other cup down on the ground. With that, she turned and left.

Hikaru sighed. "I didn't mean for it to get out like that." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Your questions and where to start. This is Fujiwara no Sai. I'm not really sure where he came from but I first met him at my grandpa's house when he popped out of an old goban. He's over a thousand years old and he's my old Go teacher. We've known each other since I was twelve. Was that all the questions? Did I miss any?"

Mouth still gapping, Touya shook his head. "So you're telling me that Sai is a ghost?"

Hikaru, frustrated, pursed his lips. "You saw that yourself didn't you?"

Touya glared at Hikaru. "I did, I think. So you're trying to tell me that this ghost taught you how to play Go. Was it you I played first or was it him?"

"Him. You've always been chasing my 'shadow'. You've never chased me. I was so angry that you wouldn't look at me and didn't want to play me that I learned how to play from watching Sai. I didn't let Sai play his beloved Go so the god's took him away from me."

"May 5th." Touya murmured.

Hikaru nodded. "For two full years I'd had Sai with me 24/7 that the sudden loss was like dumping ice water over me. I could play anymore when I didn't have Sai there cheering for me. It was like the death of a family member only worse because for 2 years he'd been part of me. Always in my mind."

"So, you were cheating. If you had someone this skilled then you had to be cheating."

"NO!" Hikaru slammed down his hands on the goban. "You haven't been listening to me. The two times I played you and beat you, those were Sai. Those two times with your dad, those were also Sai. The rest was me. I told you I didn't let Sai play. If I didn't let Sai play then how could I be cheating!"

The fire in Hikaru's eyes made Touya back down. "Alright, you have a point. You weren't cheating." Hikaru nodded his forgiveness. "I'm just a little stunned is all. Why is it that I can see him?"

Hikaru felt like his face was on fire. "I, uh, can't answer that one for you." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously again.

_If you won't, I will._ Sai threatened.

Hikaru was about to ask Sai how when Touya spoke up. "How do you do that? You don't talk aloud; it's almost as if I can hear you in my mind."

Both Hikaru and Sai gapped at Touya. "You can hear him?"

Touya nodded. "I can." He frowned for a moment. "It's like a whisper though."

_There're only two possibilities I can come up with for this to be happening._

"Oh?" Hikaru asked. Touya didn't say anything but waited for Sai to answer.

_Yes. Hikaru, the reason Touya can see me in the first place is because you're in love with him._ Hikaru jumped and was sure the blush spread all over his body. No one had time to say anything because Sai went on. _The only reason why Touya can hear me is either Hikaru's love for Touya is getting stronger, or… Touya returns the sentiments._ Now Touya's face flamed red in embarrassment. _But which one it is, I don't know._

Hikaru gulped and looked at Touya. They stared long and hard at each other. Hikaru didn't think things would be like this. But didn't Sai say that perhaps Touya returned his feelings.

"Is it true, Shindou?" Touya asked.

Hikaru winced. "Yes. I've been in love with you for years now."

"I'm glad." Touya admitted. "I only found out today that the feelings I have for you are greater then rivalry. I thought you'd be disgusted at me and hate me."

Hikaru reached out and gently cupped Touya's face. "I could never hate you."

The obvious relief in Touya's eyes made Hikaru's heart throb. He felt himself being lost in those stormy blue eyes. Touya was strong, in will as well as being. Hikaru had felt that strength even at the age of twelve and, like any butterfly toward a light, ran toward him. Only when he'd lost his heart so many years ago did he realize the danger he was in. But now, here was Touya saying he had the same feelings as Hikaru had for him. He felt like he was in heaven.

That was before he felt his lips brush Touya's. The softness threatening to become addiction for him. Then he felt the true meaning of heaven as Touya leaned forward, firmly pressing his lips against Hikaru's. It was as if lightning decided to strike him, the jolt going all the way down his body.

Hungry for more, he opened his mouth and brushed his tongue against the entrance of Touya's lips. Touya obliged, opening his mouth to Hikaru's demanding tongue. They were so into the tongue war they were having that they didn't notice the knock at the door. They certainly didn't notice the door being opened but they did notice the voice that was strong in their heads.

_Um, Hikaru? Touya? I hate to break this up but did you know that Touya's mom is watching you both with a very interesting look on her face._

Both boys' eyes flew open and they shoved against each other to get away. Their faces were twin mirrors of red.

"I, uh, knocked." Touya's mother informed the boys.

"We… didn't hear." Hikaru stammered out. This was so embarrassing. To be caught like that and on the first day. This was so not good.

Touya was glaring at the floor, refusing to look at anyone.

"So, I see you two have figured out your feelings for each other. I'd best go tell your father so that he won't come in here unannounced. I'll mention for him to yell before he comes in." She blushed. "I'll just leave these snacks on the desk."

Only then did Hikaru notice that she'd brought in some snacks. From her actions, she also knew that Touya had a thing for Hikaru. That was interesting to note. He noticed that Sai was busy trying to stifle the laughter. Touya was glaring at him. Hikaru knew exactly how he felt. Sometimes the ghost really was too much.

"Ok then. I think I'm going to go. Have a… nice visit." She left, closing the door behind her.

_Oh that was good. You two should have seen your faces when I said something. That was priceless. I wish I had a camera. That was just priceless._

"Be glad you're already dead Sai. If you were alive, I'd kill you right now." Hikaru growled.

"Oh, but Hikaru, don't go grabbing all the fun for yourself. I would have liked to join in on the fun." Touya growled.

_Oh really?_ Sai asked the boys, spreading his fan so it hid half of his face. Only his eyes were visible and it made him look a bit evil. _If I were alive…_ The sadness came quick to his eyes and Hikaru felt a pang of guilt.

"Sorry Sai. I forgot how much you hated not being alive." Hikaru whispered.

_It's ok Hikaru. This is my punishment for my suicide. To never be able to pick up a Go stone ever again with these two hands. But don't worry about me. Did you just hear Touya? He called you by your first name._ He grinned evilly at Hikaru.

"He did?" Hikaru reviewed what had been said and realized that he did. "You did." That had the desired effect that Sai had been hoping for. Hikaru went all lovey dovey and Touya blushed.

"I figured that we're now closer then friends so I thought it would be alright for me to call you by your first name." Touya grabbed the stones and took one out and began fiddling with it.

"It's more then just alright. I'm happy that you called me 'Hikaru'. Would it be ok for me to call you Akira?" This shy, hesitant Hikaru was getting on Hikaru's nerves. He wasn't used to feeling like this all the time. He was more used to being outgoing and loud.

"Fine. I don't mind."

Hikaru grinned cheekily. "Then, Akira," he pronounced every syllable in the name, "would it be possible for me to steal another kiss?" He cupped Akira's face again. Akira came willingly.

"I don't know about steal but you can have." Akira informed the devilish Hikaru.

With that, Hikaru fit his lips over Akira's, sighing at how right it felt. He heard Sai sigh.

_I'm going to have to live with this the rest of your lives? But I wanna play! Hikaru? Akira? Hey! I want to play! I helped you two now I want to play a game of Go. Are you two even listening to me? Hikaruuuu! Akiraaaaaa!_

That's how it went the rest of the night. Hikaru and Akira finally agreed to let Sai play them and they spent the night playing each other in endless games. Once and while they'd take breaks just to cuddle or to marvel at how good Sai was. They were content that night with just each other and the ghost. The world felt so right that each wanted time to just stop. They fell asleep with that thought in their heads.


	7. Of History and Moving

A/N: Here we go. Weee I got me a beta reader! -does the happy dance- I is happy if you can't tell. Writing so proper I have an urge to write horrible once and a while. Does anyone else feel that way? The next chapter will be out when I finish and my poor beta reader checks it. I'm horrible. I'm going to be loading her with tons of stuff. But anywho, read and review. Authors love reviewers as if they were gods. Hehe. Hope ya all love this chapter.

Disclaimer: Not mine. –sniffle- not now, not ever, so there.

**Welcome Back**

**Chapter 7: Of History and Moving**

The first thing Akira noticed as he swam up from the depths of unconsciousness was that he was warm. Warm and comfortable even though his right arm hurt a little bit. He'd never felt like that before. Everyday felt like every other day as far as he was concerned. Last night, though, he'd had a very nice dream. He'd dreamt that Hikaru had come over and confessed that his feelings were the same as Akira's. Then they'd kissed. The kiss was magnificent, like heaven come to earth. After that sort of dream, who would really want to wake up? Akira certainly didn't. It would mean the return to his semi boring life.

The sun was shining in through the window. Akira could tell because it was shining directly into his closed eyes. Sighing, he carefully opened his eyes. The light was blinding so he didn't fully open his eyes, he just squinted. He tried moving his right arm to shield his eyes from the glaring sun but found that something was holding his arm down. He looked down and blushed. Hikaru was laying on his arm and part of his chest; one leg was thrown over Akira's.

So, it wasn't a dream after all. He smiled softly as Hikaru snuggled deeper into his chest. He couldn't help thinking that Hikaru was so cute when he slept. Like an angel. Quite different from his loud, hyper personality during the day. Akira thought that since Hikaru was loud during the day then he'd even be loud when he slept. He was proven wrong now.

Akira moved a long strand of hair out of Hikaru's mouth. He was sure the other boy wouldn't want to eat his own hair. Akira looked around the room and got a tiny jolt when he saw Sai watching them. He had the most peculiar look on his face. It was sort of a mixture of sadness and longing. Akira nodded at the ghost who nodded back.

Silently, Sai got up and walked over to the goban and sat down. Akira and Hikaru had fallen asleep playing a game late at night- or early this morning. Akira didn't know and didn't care. He remembered falling asleep with the bed supporting his back. Hikaru must have rolled over and latched onto him during the night some time.

"I hope you don't mind if I use my left hand." He whispered, careful to keep his voice low enough to not wake the sleeping boy.

Sai's eyes crinkled in laughter. _I don't mind. It's fun playing against you no matter what hand you use._

Akira frowned as he grabbed both cups of stones. "Hikaru hasn't really told me much about you. Only that you're a thousand years old and your name is Fujiwara no Sai. Why did you die?"

The question didn't seem to faze Sai. _A thousand years ago, I was the Master of Go. I was the instructor in the emperors' palace. Everyday I would instruct the courtiers how to play. There were people from all over the land who would journey just to play a game with me. I played many, many people and I won all of the games._ He paused to place a stone. _I wasn't the only instructor though. There was another almost as good as me. He was devious. To pronounce a true Master at the game, he issued a challenge. The entire court was there, including the emperor. While everyone was watching the game, I saw him cheat. It was a close game in the beginning but with that move I saw a loss at then end. I tried to inform the court about his cheating but he turned it around and said that I was cheating. I, of course, lost and was thrown out of court. I was so saddened by my loss- to be exiled and never to play my beloved game- that I threw myself into a river and drowned._

"Then you appeared before Hikaru when he was twelve?" Akira asked, thoroughly interested in Sai's story. He placed a stone half-heartedly, more interested in the story than in the game.

Sai smiled, amused. "_No. The goban that I'd played on for years bore my sadness and a boy saw that sadness. His name was Torajirou. I appeared before him and asked him if I could borrow a part of his heart so that I could once again play my beloved game of Go. _Sai smiled warmly, remembering those happy days. _Torajirou changed his name and succeeded his master at the early age of twenty._

Akira's eyes narrowed. If there was such a magnificent Go player like that, then he would recognize the name. Torajirou didn't ring a bell.

"What was the other name he went by?" He asked his voice very serious.

_His name was changed to Shuusaku._

A large jolt shot through Akira's body which made him gasp and widened his eyes. "Honinbou Shuusaku? You were Honinbou Shuusaku!"

Hikaru's hand clenched into a fist, capturing a fistful of Akira's shirt in it. Hikaru rubbed his head against Akira's chest and both boy and ghost didn't say a word. Akira wanted to let Hikaru sleep as much as possible. When Hikaru calmed down and his breathing was even again, Akira looked at Sai.

Sai chuckled. _Yes, I was Honinbou Shuusaku. He was very good on his own but he gave up his game so that I could play._

"Honinbou Shuusaku died when he was in his 30's."

_Yes, he did._ There was so much pain and sadness in his voice that Akira was sorry he mentioned it. _When a plague came into the land, Torajiou wasn't immune. He caught the sickness and spent his last days in bed coughing up blood. On the night he died his blood landed on the goban. The goban was forgotten again and I was thrown into a world of eternal darkness. I had given up hope of ever returning to the world when I heard a voice. A young boys' voice was saying that he saw the blood. I asked him if I could inhabit a part of his heart and…_

"Here you are." Akira finished when it was certain that Sai wasn't going on.

Sai nodded. _Here I am. My punishment for my suicide is that I go on with this life for eternity without ever being able to pick up another stone. Even though I am able to teach, I will never be able to play a real game._

The pure grief in Sai's voice made Akira wince. He understood Sai's love for the game; he could not handled living an eternity without picking up a Go stone. This must be a very rough existence for the ghost.

"But you play through Hikaru and you will play through me. I understand that's not enough but it's all we can do."

_I know. I just sometimes miss the feel of the stones in my fingers._

Akira decided to change the subject. It wasn't nice to keep reminding the ghost of what he lost. "Now I understand how Hikaru got so good so fast. Having a teacher be with him 24/7 has its advantages."

Many a_dvantages, yes. Sometimes not so much. _Akira wondered at the remark and the mysterious amused look in Sai's eyes.

Hikaru chose that moment to wake up. He gazed up into Akira's eyes, his eyes half lidded with sleep. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Morning already? It's too early. I'm going back to sleep." He turned over and fell asleep on the floor.

Akira blinked. "No you're not!" He crawled over Hikaru and looked into his sleeping face. "It's time you woke up, Hikaru."

Hikaru's eyes flew open. "Just kidding!" He lunged up and planted a firm kiss on Akira.

Stunned, Akira followed Hikaru as he lowered his head, keeping the kiss going. They opened their mouths to start a tongue war when Sai walked up beside them.

_Awwww, how cute! I really wish I had a camera. This scene is just too cute. I've never seen Akira-kun blush like that._

Both boys broke apart and Akira became aware of how bold their position was. Heat flamed his face in a fierce blush. He grabbed the first thing his hands came in contact with and threw it at the ghost. Of course, the object passed right through him, but one would have thought it hit him with all the ruckus he was causing.

"Then again, having a teacher with you 24/7 could be very annoying too." He stressed the word 'annoying'.

Sai grinned cheekily at him, a habit he must have picked up from Hikaru. Hikaru was watching them both with a bewildered expression. He scratched his forehead in thought.

"Did I miss something while I was asleep?" He asked.

Akira wouldn't look at him. "No. You didn't miss anything. I was just thinking how advantageous it would be to have a Go Master's ghost as your teacher 24/7. Now I can see how annoying it is as well."

Hikaru laughed. "One gets used to it very fast. No worries Akira." He kissed the tip of Akira's nose.

Akira sniffed and then sighed. "The one thing I've been trying to figure out is; does this make me gay?" He slowly crawled off of Hikaru.

Hikaru sat up with a sigh of his own. "I don't know. I don't really think I like other guys, I just like you." Hikaru said with a shrug.

Akira nodded. "That makes sense. I don't think other guys look good. I just like you." He sighed. "But that answer wouldn't satisfy the public. In their eyes, we'll be gay. We don't have interests in other guys, but we don't have any interests in girls either. That makes us gay. The public will not take kindly to two gay Go players."

Hikaru flopped back down to the floor. "Who cares what the public thinks? What are we going to do? Just go out there today and announce that we're gay? They don't have to know our personal life. Let them find out when they find out."

Sai nodded his agreement. _Hikaru has a point. If it's not affecting your ability to play, then it has nothing to do with the public. Your lives are your lives. Not theirs._

"It's not that easy you two." Akira pointed out. "If you think we're famous right now then just you wait. With Sai's teaching, we're going to be just as good, if not better, than Shuusaku. The media is going to eat it up like crazy." He looked at Hikaru. "The media was on us when we were the two top rising stars in the Go world. Now, they're going to be on us like ticks on a dog." He winced at his crude wording.

He felt a warm hand cup his face and opened his eyes to the most vivid green eyes he'd ever seen. Hikaru placed his forehead on Akira's and Akira could feel Hikaru's breath puff gently on his face.

"It's going to be ok, Akira. I'll protect you. I promise you that I'll stay with you no matter what happens. I love you." The last sentence was said breathlessly.

Akira leaned against Hikaru's forehead. This all felt right. This all felt good. "I love you too Hikaru." Hikaru let out the breath he was holding. "What? Did you think I would say I hated you?"

Hikaru stroked Akira's face nervously. "No, I just didn't know if you felt as deeply for me as I do for you. I was worried I might be pushing you."

Hikaru gave Akira a gentle push and Akira fell on the floor onto his back. Hikaru was quick to follow, kneeling on all fours, his face hovering above Akira's.

"I love you, Akira. I promise we'll be together forever." He leaned down and covered Akira's lips with his own.

The passion in the kiss was driving Akira insane. This was no child's kiss nor was it a light lovers kiss. It was hot and passionate. Akira was lost in the moment. He reached up and pulled Hikaru down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around the taller boy's waist. Akira's eyes flew open when he felt Hikaru's hands on his bare skin. Hikaru had pulled Akira's shirt up and was exploring the exposed area. Neither of them were paying any attention to the ghost who was having a fit of hysterics. Akira decided to be bold and put his hands under Hikaru's shirt and started exploring his chest. Hikaru let out a moan which excited Akira.

They ignored the polite cough. Then it came a bit louder and that's when both the boys looked to see who it was. Hikaru nearly jumped out of his skin when his eyes met those of the elder Touya. Akira's face went from fine to fire in 0.23 seconds. A new record in his book. Akira noticed that everyone in the room was blushing to some degree. He gave silent thanks to all the gods that he wasn't the only one.

They quickly crawled over to the goban and continued to play the game that he and Sai had started. They acted as though this is what they've been doing all along. Akira hoped his father would just go along with it. He placed a stone, not remembering whose real turn it was. Hikaru placed another stone.

Akira looked up. "Oh, Father, I was so into the game I didn't notice you." He knew he wasn't acting like he usually did but, when one's father caught one in a very humiliating position, one resorted to nervousness.

The elder Touya coughed. "I can see that. Your mother told me to call for you before entering, which I did. I was just going to ask if you have decided to move out or if you were going to continue living here."

"Move?" Hikaru asked, interest lifting his voice. "Why do you have to move, Akira?"

Akira sighed. "My parents have decided to spend a few years touring the major Go countries: China, Korea, and America. They've giving me a choice of moving out or staying in this house."

"You have? Hmm, I've been thinking of moving out on my own." He looked pointedly at Sai. Akira nodded to show he understood. "I was actually going to start looking for a roommate." Hikaru grinned at Akira. "How about we move in with each other?"

Touya coughed discreetly. "Yes, well, whatever you two chose, tell me. We're leaving in a week and we'd like everything to be settled by then. You know your mother's such a worrier."

Akira nodded sternly. He understood the subtle message his father was giving him. It was a 'make up your mind so you don't worry your mother' message. Touya looked at them sternly and then left the room.

Hikaru let out a rush of air. "Woo, your father really knows how to scare the living daylights out of someone." He laughed nervously. Then he cocked his head in confusion. "Your dad didn't look too surprised to see us, um; kissing and neither did your mom. Am I missing something?"

Akira sighed. "Yes they knew about us. They're the reason I finally figured out my feelings toward you. My father was a bit upset finding out his only son was gay but he seems ok with it now."

Hikaru gulped when Akira said his father was a bit upset. "Um, ok, I guess thank heavens for small miracles." He glanced around the room. "So, do we move out, or are we going to live here?"

Akira's brows rose. "We? Since when did 'we' have to make the same decisions?"

Hikaru laughed. "Oh trust me. I know about this subject better then you." Akira glared at his boyfriend, getting more frustrated at Hikaru's superior look. "When we're away from each other, it's like having our heart ripped out from our chest. I could only stand it for about a week."

"What are you talking about?" Akira demanded.

_Akira's right Hikaru. I don't think a week ago Akira realized his feelings for you so he didn't have to deal with the pain._

"What!" Hikaru exclaimed. "No fair." He pouted. Then he grew serious. "When I left you in the train station, I felt as if I was ripping out part of my heart. The further I am away from you, the more pain we'll be in. Sai and I sort of figured it out. When people fall in love, they exchange half of their hearts in their bonds. They never feel it and they never suffer the side effects of long term separation if they do have to separate. For us, I have accepted Sai to stay in a part of my heart. When I gave you half of my heart, I gave you half of my contract to Sai. So, in essence, you carry 3/4ths of my heart and part of Sai's as well. It's why you can see him and talk to him."

"So you're saying that because of the ghost, we can feel each other? We're aware where each other are and we'll need to stay close together?" Akira was totally serious.

"I don't understand more then that, but in a nutshell- yes." As if an afterthought, Hikaru went on. "Oh, you'll have to learn how to communicate with Sai even when there are people around. Trust me; you'll look really weird if someone sees you talking to yourself. He not only inhabits our hearts but he's also in our minds. Just think what you want to say and he'll hear it." Hikaru gave him a grin. "Try it."

Akira sighed. _Might as well. Can you hear me Sai?_

_Loud and clear._ The ghost said, clearly amused.

Akira jumped, not expecting it to work the first time. "I see. Well, I will have to inform my parents about moving, I suppose."

Hikaru looked around the room. "Why can't we stay here?"

Akira thought about it. "With our low income, we might just be able to pay the utilities for this place. My parents wouldn't expect rent out of us so that wouldn't be a problem." He tapped a finger against the goban absentmindedly. "It could work."

Hikaru nodded. "It could and it would. I'm off to start packing my room and tell my mom I'm moving. Inform your parents and ask what the arrangements are going to be like." He looked at Sai. "Stay here with Akira while I run home. Now that there're two people, you'll have more options then just to hang out with me." He grinned cheekily at the stunned ghost. "Besides, you'll have to explain the pain thing to him." Hikaru winked at Akira and then took off.

Now that Akira was paying attention, he could feel the distance as Hikaru got further away. It wasn't until Hikaru got to the train station that Akira felt the pang of pain. He doubled over onto his hands and knees panting.

"Hikaru had to go through this all week?" Akira asked, disbelief heavy in his voice.

_Yes. Now you understand what Hikaru meant. He's probably feeling exactly what you're feeling right now._

Akira smiled grimly. "I can't be outdone by a boyfriend who is weaker than I am." He gathered his strength and climbed up to his feet, his legs shaky. "Let's go inform my parents of my choice."

_Hold on a second._ Sai's expression looked confused. _Why didn't you know something was odd about me from the way I dressed? I am still what I was a thousand years ago. Hikaru's always telling me how odd I look in my clothes._

Akira smiled. "These days I see people wearing everything. My father wears that kimono of his everyday. I don't see others doing that so it's odd but it's my father. I just thought you were one of those types of people. It's not required for a person to dress nice to play Go."

_I see._ His tone told Akira that he didn't.

"Later I'll show you some other people who don't dress like other people. Then you'll know what I mean. Ok?

_Really, There are weirdly dressed people? I'd like to see that just to say I've seen it._

Akira shook his head. "You're a very odd ghost."

Boy and ghost left the room to go search for Akira's parents. They walked down the hall and found both parents drinking cups of tea at the kitchen table. His parents looked up when he arrived. An image of what happened that morning flashed across his mind. He quickly banished the thought and suppressed the blush. He shot Sai a look when he noticed he was snickering. This mind thing could be very bad indeed.

"Mother, Father, I think we've made a decision." Both parents watched Akira with steady gazes. He had their full attention. "Would we have to pay rent if we stayed in this house?"

"So you're planning on staying here?" Akira's mother asked with a smile. "No, we won't charge either of you rent. This house is paid off, so there's no real worry. We don't want to have to worry about this house while we're gone. If it's something broken, you pay for it. Other than that, you will just need to take care of the utilities."

Akira nodded. "I thought as much. And is it ok for Hikaru to move in here?"

Touya raised his brow. "I thought you two were in a relationship. Am I wrong?"

Akira felt the blush starting to rise. "N-no. You're not wrong." He looked at the floor. He hated feeling as if he were weak. He knew he sounded weak.

"Then what's the matter with you two living together?" She smiled.

Touya looked around the house and sighed. "You'll want us to move our things out. This house will never feel like yours if we keep all of our belongings in it. You'll need to buy the things you need so that it'll feel more like you."

"And you'll be leaving…?" Akira asked.

"In a week. Don't sound so happy your loving parents are leaving." His mom's eyes crinkled with laughter as her son slightly blushed at her words.

Akira lifted his head proudly, despite his slight color. He wasn't happy they were leaving, but he knew that they would be happier to get out of here the fastest they could.

_You're very nice to your parents._ Sai remarked.

_I've come to realize how difficult it was for my father to be tied down here when all he wanted to do was play Go with some challenging people. He got his wish when he retired. I can't complain because it was his choice, but I wouldn't have anyway because I know it is the best thing for him and his health._

Sai nodded._ Oh, oh! Do you think I could play your father again? He was a very worthy opponent._

Akira paused for a second before remembering that this person was the one who beat his father at internet Go. Sai obviously really loved playing against Touya and wanted to do so again. Akira was amused.

"Father?" When he had the elders' attention he went on. "I just met someone who said he'd like to play you again. He said his name is Sai. He beat you once at internet Go." He was sure his father didn't forget but he was reminding him just in case.

Touya's face changed all of a sudden and his eyes showed the serious glint Akira recognized from his Go. "You've met Sai." Akira nodded. "Then tell him I would be honored for a rematch someday; I don't mind if it's on the internet. I will beat him next time."

_I don't think for a few hundred years, but that's ok, Father._ Akira thought. "I'll tell him." He said aloud.

_I wouldn't be too sure._ Sai remarked. _I wasn't a few hundred years old when I became a Master of Go. I've just had a few hundred years to refine my game._

Akira sighed mentally. This form of communication did take getting used to. He wasn't used to having someone in his mind all the time. He didn't know how Hikaru put up with it.

_Very carefully. _Was the amused remark.

Akira glared at the ghost. _Can you please go tell Hikaru of what my parents said?_

Sai mockingly bowed to him deeply like a servant and disappeared. Life was definitely getting more exciting.


End file.
